Defiance
by Corkk the Forgetful Scribe
Summary: A Young Novice, a blind acolyte, a revenge driven swordswoman fight to return the crown to its rightful place. Read and Review if you want to.Chapter 2 is up so read if you have the time.
1. Of Amnesia and Arrows

**Defy You**

I do not own any of the characters in this story, except Corkk, he's mine!

I also do not own Ragnarok online, as it is owned by gravity studios.

Oh yeah, and also, Steven Wodka, Raina Yume, Naomi Hansyuan, Hugensnot the fallen one, Green Mercury, and Zonbi the Anti-king are all based after characters that my characters have met in the game, and are owned by other people.

_Chapter 1: Of Amnesia and Arrows._

Pain lanced through his thigh. Didn't these fiendish willows have anything better to do than stick foot-long splinters in his leg? The young novice was locked in a furious struggle against a log, a log that had been blessed with life. Its jagged arms were flailing at him in a vain attempt to take his life. His axe flashed as he prepared the finishing blow but the monster fell dead, an arrow protruding from its eye.

"What the hell!" A novice couldn't shoot an arrow, that was definitely a skill they were never trained in. Curiosity taking control, he turned, looking for the origin of the arrow. As he looked around, he noticed there was no-one else on the ground. He found what he was looking for in a tree a hundred feet be hind him.

His eyes drifting upward he caught sight of a pair of heavy boots, the kind one saw in the army. Above that were a pair of stunning, long, legs, connected to a pair of legs that one only heard about, not thin but not huge, the perfect size. Her stomach was thin, but not thin enough to be unhealthy. She particularly blessed in the breast area, it was no wonder that her shirt was so tight. She was definitely too good for him.

She had a somewhat vacant expression on her face, as if she was attempting to remember something. She had shocking eyes, a cold blue like one finds in a mountain lake. Her long red hair was wild, only restrained by the band that held it in place. She was wearing the blue tunic that was standard issue for any archer. She was also wearing an apple with an arrow through it; the people of Rune-Midgard wore the strangest things as hats. The rule of thumb being that if it didn't hurt you, couldn't be used as a weapon, or wasn't clothing, then it was a hat, this lead to strange things like people with mushrooms on their heads.

She was attempting to get down from her perch. She seemed to be having a little bit of trouble. Suddenly, she slipped. Without a second thought, the novice leaped into action. She was hanging from a limb that she had caught, which seemed to be cracking from the stress.

"Excuse me, madam, but you're gonna have to let go pretty soon, that branch wont hold much longer."

Indeed, the branch was beginning to make noises resembling something you might hear as your great-grandfather stands up to go somewhere.

"It's too far, I'll die, you can't make me let go of this branch, I refuse to let go," she yelled, panic filling her voice.

"I'll catch you, just trust me and let go, don't worry, I won't let you fall".

So, she let go. Not expecting such a quick reaction, he missed her, but she didn't miss him. The archer landed square on him with enough force to make the air evacuate his lungs in one burst, and he was pretty sure he had either broken or severely bruised his rib cage. He seemed to have absorbed the worst of the fall, but she had still had the wind knocked out of her from the impact.

"What's an archer doing so far into the wilderness?" Queried the novice, after they had regained their breath

"I don't know, I just woke up and was here, I don't even remember where I came from, by the way, my name is…, is…"

She suddenly started crying, tears forming a stream down her cheek.

"I can't even remember my name, I don't know who I am anymore," She wailed.

The novice was astonished, what was he supposed to say. A beautiful girl had just fallen on him, and now, she was crying her eyes out. He sighed; he seemed to have that effect on attractive women.

"It's ok, you'll be ok…"

"How can I ever be ok, I could be anybody, or worse, I could be nobody."

By now, she was somewhat delirious, the novice could only think of one thing to say.

"If it will make you feel better, I will give you a name, is that ok with you?"

She stopped crying, which was a tremendous relief to the novice, since it was tearing him apart to see such a beautiful person crying and not be able to do anything about it.

For now, you shall be named Aeris and I promise that I will help you try to find out who you are. By the way, my name is Corkk, son of Garrow, and if you can't tell, I am no normal novice.

_End of chapter one._


	2. Blind Faith

The acolytes in this story are on a strictly pick your god basis. If you are Muslim, you may choose for it to be Allah, if you are Jewish, it might be Jehovah for you, and if you are Christian, you can call him God.

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_Chapter 2, Blind Faith_

Steven Wodka's insides were under siege.

The smell of rotting flesh was unbearable as yet another horror limped toward him, hands ever grasping

From the wretched scar that was its mouth came a terrible moan. "Aaalllll yooouurr faaaullllt."

"N-no, It wasn't m-me, it's all a lie, you can't prove it," Wodka screamed, half delirious.

"Yoouu kiilllled hiiiiimmm," They wailed.

It became a chant that kept getting louder, as they pressed in towards him, a circle becoming smaller with every step.

Power surged through arms, and with a roar he pressed his palm against one of the putrid faces and muttered a word not pronounceable in our English language. Holy light filled the corpse and its every unholy fiber was seared by the blazing heat of justice. The kind of heat produced when you devote your self wholly to a power higher than mere mortality. (I am extremely tolerant of other religions, so I will not say that this is god, only a higher being whether it be Allah, or Buddha, or Jehovah, or even Vishnu.)

This momentary triumph did nothing to slow the onslaught of body's, though as more took its place an ever growing, pressing, clutching tide of gore.

He had not expected these wretched souls, when he had hid in this cave, fleeing from angry villagers , the kind who tend to mob with torches and pitchforks, or in his case spears and swords, who thought that loss of his sight was not punishment enough for a crime, a murder that he didn't commit.

They had just come from the shadows, moaning and raking, until his clothes were torn and his wits were shredded

The circle kept pushing in, he couldn't incinerate them fast enough, and was forced to draw his weapon and fight.

His weapon of choice was a long metal rod with a head at the tip. He was told it was called a Golf club, what ever that was, and was pretty useful for bashing in heads. He would have preferred to use a sword or spear, but when he committed himself to his priesthood he had been made to swear an oath to never again cleave the flesh of his enemies with unholy blades.

The fight was more difficult for him than it would have beenfor any other human being. Being blind, he had to rely on his sense of hearing and touch, as well as the divine guidance that came with priesthood to strike down his foes.

His efforts rewarded him with only a slight halt in the flow of bodies. Soon though, they got too close for him to hit with the long club and he was forced tull pull out his last weapon, an ornately carved Morning Star, which is a ball of metal spikes attached to a handle.

They just kept coming for every one he killed another one took it's place. They were too close, he wouldn't be able to hold them off for much longer. As if to prove this point, he felt a horrible tearing in his side.

He swung around and shattered the offending skull into a thousand pieces which splattered every where

Suddenly the swarm parted to his left and he heard a familiar voice.

They are right, you did kill Him in not acting you caused his death and in doing so unwittingly set in motion precise plans that will lead to your doom, and my unending glory.

Wodka knew he had heard that voice before, but he could not figure out where.

He, was little Jimmy Wodka, Steve's now 6 months deceased little brother. He, was the one Steven was convicted of murdering, and He was the zombie that sunk his teeth into Steven's shoulder, coming from behind him while Wodka was listening to the stranger give his victory monologue and delivering toxins that ended the fight.

The last thing that Wodka heard before he went unconscious was the clash of a sword, and a battle cry, then he felt a great wave of heat, and he slipped into the deep pool of placid unconsciousness.

_End of Chapter 2_


	3. History of Violence

To say that dungeons where miserable is an understatement.

Raina Hikaru lay in the cold damp cell, while the rats scurried past and water dripped over her cot.

As the last of the resistance, she was to be executed in one month to squash all hopes of rebellion. With the passing of her, the fallen one would gain complete control of the kingdom of Rune-Midgard.

It was unfathomable that less than two month ago, Tristram the third was sitting on his throne, or would be if he wasn't always daydreaming in his garden. Unbeknownst to all but a few, this horrible change began 3 years before, in a mages training grounds in Prontera castle

_Flashback to 3½ years before._

Raina "Yume" Hikaru was finally going to get her wish. After countless years of training in the novice academy, she had gained the knowledge needed to join the secretive guild of the magically adept, or mages as the commoners called them. After passing the punitive test they placed before her, (making a potion, oh scary!) she had headed to the capital city of prontera armed with only her spell book, in order to pursue the position of apprentice to the High Mage, a mysterious, or more mysterious than usual, wizard who went by the name of Green Mercury. Using raw wits and a little bit of luck, she was able to reach his room, at the top of a heavily warded tower,

As she stepped inside the room, she felt, rather than saw, a tall man, sitting behind a big oaken desk. The next thing she knew, her mental barriers had been brutally torn aside, like a rock through wet paper. She felt a scorching burst of pain at the back of her neck, and she was seeing black.

Slowly she got up, how long had she been down, what had the shrouded man, which she presumed to be the High Mage, done to her, and last of all, how had he done all this without moving?

"First lesson, any mage can take you down if you are not mentally ready to meet them." Came a deep voice like that of a large weighty man from somewhere to the left.

"My name is…" she began.

"Raina Hikaru, though you prefer to be called Yume" interrupted the man, who chose that moment to reveal himself.

"If a mage can gain access to your mind, then they know all that you know, a useful tool to know, but a fearsome weapon against those that cant fight it," He continued.

"I have come to…"she started.

"Seek my apprenticeship and learn the intricate art of magic." He finished for her.

"I am sorry but I am currently in possession of an adequate number of apprentices."

"But sir..."

"I don't care about the promise you made to your sister, I need no apprentices," He replied with an air of finality which said that this was over.

"Sir," she began more insistently, "I will not leave this office unless I have been given apprenticeship."

"If I want you to leave, you will leave, whether by your own power or not," he replied with a stony glare, "But it happens that I like students that are determined, you will begin tomorrow."

"Thank you sir…" she began but was cut off as she sensed a massive displacement of air, like when you pop a balloon, and all the air whooshes out.

The next thing she knew, she was at the bottom of the tower.

"So the rumors are true," she thought.

Delighted with her new position, she studied hard for the next 2 weeks, until the day that came to be known only as the beginning of the end.

As she arrived at the training field, some of the other trainees where arguing. The self proclaimed leader of all of the mages apprentices, Hugensnot, (who will come into the story in a prominent role in the near future) was arguing with the younger but apparently equally experienced, Decc Ramirez. Hugen was claiming that the most efficient kill was just to pierce the foes soul with a powerful skill he liked to call Napalm Beat. Decc on the other hand, was arguing that it was easier to kill them with a skill he had mastered called Frost Diver which froze the foe in a block of ice.

They were both putting up strong arguments, when, out of no where "He" came.

Now, don't ask why he did what he did, I cant answer that. But he did commit, what is known by the few survivors,(all 4 of them) as the most awful massacre ever known.

The shrouded figure, that we will just refer to as "Him," for now, just appeared out of thin air between the two mages. As a reflex, Decc stepped back and swung his staff toward the mysterious phantom. This of course was not the wisest of actions, because with a flash, the wraith vanished. Startled, Decc stepped back, and then a terrible expression appeared on his face, and he gasped, as his head fell to the earth, giving a final twitch, before his eyes clouded over. With another flash, another apprentice fell, his throat seeping blood. There was blood everywhere, as another three mages where brutally stabbed to the point of disfiguration, and all the while there was a terrible laugh, akin to the sound that the evil demon makes as it consumes yet more souls. Whoever, or whatever was doing this, was enjoying this terrible perverse ritual.

All the while, Hugensnot was just standing there, which was more terrible almost than the act being committed to the other students. The other students for their credit, were trying to kill the unseen menace, and spells where flying everywhere adding to the confusion. Yume was later ashamed at her actions, but at the time, hiding under a wagon seemed to be the smartest thing to do. But never the less, she still could not bear to look away as the young mages unanswered screams were painfully and efficiently cut short.

Not 5 minutes later, Hugensnot was the only one left standing, and he flinched waiting for the inevitable end of his young life. This though was a moment that would not come for a long time yet, and with a frighteningly calm sound, the wraith spoke.

"Well now what have we here, a scared little mage boy, torn from his little flock. Well, I can find a use for this little one, and what use he will be, I can sense a great power just beneath the surface, waiting to be torn free. Yes, you will be very useful indeed."

With impossible precision, the wraith appeared right behind Hugensnot, and grabbed him, and then… there was nothing, both Hugen and the Phantom were gone.

_End flashback_

What happened in the next three hours, Yume never knew, for she had fainted cold after Hugen disappeared. They never found him, or at least not the "him" that disappeared that day. Over the next few years, though, there were unsettling rumors saying that a powerful wizard was gaining strength and followers somewhere in the lands to the north.

One day two years later, there was a stirring to the north. What everyone thought was a harmless immigration began. Many people came into the capital from the north, claiming to be escaping the horde of demons that were laying waste to the mountains there.

Many of these people took up positions in the castle guard, until they made up over 50 of the guard. Many more began moving into the capital and taking up residence near the castle and the barracks.

Then, a year after the beginning of the immigration, It happened.

Yume had just finished her apprenticeship, and was now a full fledged sage, a wise young woman that had gained a position as the head of the king's advisors. But she never told people what really happened that day, and the public belief was that a demon of great power had caused the slaughter, but she knew, and she vowed that she would never let such an atrocious act go unpunished, not unless she was dead.

One day, while she was out in the countryside, she saw a trail of smoke over Prontera. She hurried back, wonder what could possibly have started the fire. As she reached the castle, which was the source of the fire, she had an atrocious reminder of what had happened 3 years before. Everywhere, there were bodies.

Some of the bodies where soldiers, castle guards, while others where townsfolk, but all where mangled. By the position of the bodies, she could tell that there had been betrayal on that night, approximately half of the guard had rebelled for seemingly no reason. Or at least that is what she thought at first, but as she headed inwards, she noticed that the barbarians had been the aggressors, a terrible military coup which was all the work of one group. As she reached the throne room, she heard a terrible wail over the roar of the flames. She blasted the door open, just as a mysterious mage gained his prize. On the floor near his feet, where the king and the queen, both horribly tortured, and brutally defaced.

The mage stepped back laughing maniacally as he placed the crown over his head, the only other person in the room being a thief, with a hood covering his face. Yume knew that she could do no more here, but get herself killed, and was leaving when the figured turned in her direction. Yume almost screamed. It was him, after all these years he still lived, though, any part of himself that was there before was now dead. All that remained was raw power and a black void. Before he had a chance to see her, she darted back into the hallway and raced with inhuman desperation back to the city.


End file.
